this is "world news." tonight, down to the wire. the breaking news from capitol hill. talks at a standstill. lawmakers taking us right to the edge of the flif. will every american see their taxes go up when that famous ball drops? jon carl on the behind the scenes skrbl tonight. >> the deadly accident in the west, moving into the east as many dig out from more than i foot of snow. jinker zee standing by tonight. caught on tape the chilling new view of that deadly crash landing, the jet spinning to a halt feet from a bustling highway. tonight, who authorities are zeroing in on. and amazing grace.

what we're now learning about the presidential serenade from the oak ridge boys. ♪ amazing grace how sweet the sound ♪ >> the former first lady and her special request. the president at the end of the line and what he said afterward. good evening. on this sunday night, great to have you with us. we begin with the developing story from washington. those 11th hour talks to avoid the fiscal cliff. this evening here after they came to a halt, the vice president has been called in, now playing a central role. but time is running out. just tonight and tomorrow left. and if no agreement, taxes will go up for all americans. in fact, the average american family would see a tax increase of more than $3400. as congress convened, even the senate chaplain praying to avoid

what the president called self-inflicted wounds. let's bring in jon carl. the source has told you the vice president has been called in on this. >> reporter: that's right. i'm told the vice president is now playing a direct role in these negotiations, trying to get to a deal, a last-minute deal, a key player in the final hours. president obama set off the high-stakes weekend scramble friday night imemployering congressional leaders to take action immediately. >> the american people are not going to have any patience fora i politically self-inflicted wound to our economy. >> reporter: with that harry reid and mitch mcconnell launched a latch-dimp effort to craft a bipt plan to that stop the tax hike going into effect on new year's day. they negotiated all day saturday. saturday night there was an offer. by this morning, a clear sense

of optimism and warnings that failure would be unthinkable. >> there are no breakthroughs yet, but there's a real possibility of a deal. >> if we are not able to reach an agreement, it will be dire. >> the morning's optimism turned into the afternoon's pessimism. the senate opened for business at 1:00 p.m. with the ominous prayer from the chaplain. >> look with favor on our nation and save us from self-inflicted wounds. >> reporter: soon democratic leader reed acknowledged he had not been able to make a counteroffer to republicans. >> it's just that we're apart on some pretty big issues. >> frustrated with the impasse, republican mcconnell said he called vice president biden, urging him to get involved. >> i'm concerned about the lack urgency here. i want erch to know i'm willing to get this done, but i need a dance partner. >> reporter: after a roller

coaster of a weekend, the bottom line is, there is still no deal. although the white house says the president remains modestly optimistic and harry reid said they would work through the night. but of course time is almost out. >> and millions are americans are watching. jon carl at the white house tonight, jon, thank you. >> the president meanwhile making headlines with tough talk about gun control in his second term in the wake of the shootings in newtown, connecticut. you'll remember the president tearing up as he addressed the nation on the day of the shooting. today the president recalled that day. >> this is something that -- you know, that was the worst day of my presidency. it's not something that i want to see repeated. >> the president going on to say he supports banning assault rifles and high capacity clips, better background checks and he hopes it's accomplished in the first year of his second term. meantime some 400 children parents and community members from newtown, connecticut were at the giants/eagles game in new

jersey. what a moment it was. children from newtown greeting both teams as they took the field. then their families and their children stood on the sidelines as the national anthem played in the stadium. we'll turn now to the deep freeze on its way to a huge stretch of the country. it come as so many are still digging out from two snowstorms in a row. a worker clearing the stadium in foxborough. and navigating the snowy roads in pennsylvania. meantime, it's been a deadly night on the road out west, all because of the snow. >> reporter: on the icy roads of the blue mountains near pendleton, oregon, a tour bus crashed today, killing five people and injuring at least 20. driving was disastrous this weekend after the latest winter storm in the east. there was a 20-car pileup in new hampshire. >> there was debut everywhere. you could see it.

you had to duck not be hit by a fender or some exploding plastic grills. unbelievable. >> caller: in wisconsin, ifor was like a parking lot. dangerous in maine also. in lexington, kentucky, crews worked day and night to keep that from happening. in st. louis, that did happen. black ice sent this suv tumbling into an icy river. inside a mother and her three children. >> i can only imagine what she thought with the three kids in the back seat. >> first responders jumped in and no one was hurt. tonight it's the cold and wind in durham, connecticut. a freezing reminder that this is what winter looks like. >> l the holidays are supposed to be easier than this. ginger, you say this cold is going to say and some places will get colder. >> right. that's yuft the problem upon you have the icy roads.

sometimes they melt during the day and you get black ice at night. that will continue because all the roads have snow and ice on them. you can see, chicago hasn't been below freezing until today. for 308 days, they'll stay? the 20s starting the new year. new york city, tuesday 39, by wednesday struggling to make it to freezing. >> it's not looking too terrible. there's a system down in parts of the plains, missouri you can see snow and ice in northern arkansas and rain in storms. new york city, the ball drops right in the 30s, it will feel okay and then colder on new year's day. some tense moments for a night airlines flight heading for denver upon the plane losing a panel right off taking off from missouri. the pilot circling the airport and then landing safely. not clear what caused that panel to fall off.

and new and chilling images of the crash landing in moscow. a fifth person has died. kirit radia has though images from moscow tonight. >> reporter: the terrifying moment of impact was captured on a car's dashboard camera. watch as the plane slams into the side of the highway sending debris flying, the plane's tire smashing into the car ahead. miraculously, no one on the highway was killed. the russian-made tupolev 204 was trying to land at moscow's vnukovo airport on saturday when it skidded off the runway and crashed into the side of the highway, splirnting into three pieces and bursting into flames. the red wings air flight was arriving from the czech republic without any passengers and just eight crew members onboard. four of them died yesterday. today a fifth crew member died from her injuries. the other three remain hospitalized. near the crash site a makeshift memorial. investigators are combing through the plane's black box recorders trying to find out why

the plane crashed. the cause is still unknown, but investigators are reportedly focusing on whether the plane's breaking system failed. kirit radia, abc news, moscow. we move on this evening to a terror threat from an al qaeda faction the u.s. government considers the most dangerous. they're offering tens of thousands of dollars to anyone who kills the u.s. ambassador or an american soldier in their country. here's muhammad lila. >> reporter: it's a country racked with lawlessness and now a potential new threat. the associated press first reported this video which claims to be from al qaeda's yemen branch announcing a new bounty. roughly $160,000 for the head of the american ambassador in yemen and $23,000 for any american soldier. abc hasn't verified the authenticity of the video. it was posted online separately, claiming to be part of a longer video, one that we have

authenticated. the threat comes at a critical time, just four months after the american embassy was stormed in libya, killing chris stevens and three other personnel. after the attacks, security levels were raised at many american embassies around the world. >> i think the security detail won't do anything differently because they had to know the ambassador was already a person who had to be protected very carefully. >> yemen is considered by many a breeding ground for militants. and there's no question anti-american sentiment in yemen is running high. in september, an angry mob stormed the u.s. embassy, enraged by the controversial youtube video about the prophet muhammad. >> he's one of the people in danger all the time whether their a bounty on his head or not. from india, mourners

gathering to remember a young woman who died after being attacked by several men on a bus. she died in a singapore hospital. the incident has smarked anger and rare protests in that country over the treatment of women. police say they'll charge the attackers with murder. back here in new york city, an arrest in what every subway rider's night would be. the woman in custody facing hate crime charges after telling police she pushed a man to his death because she thought he was a muslim. >> reporter: it was a bizarre ending to a crime that has shocked this city. the woman accused of pushing a man onto the train tracks, screaming and smiling as cameras captured here arrest. this surveillance video led police to erica menendez. investigators say that's her running away from a train station in queens thursday night just moments after she shoved a flicks-year-old man from the

platform. now she's reportedly admitted to the crime. >> i pushed muslim off the train tracks because i've hated hindus and muslims since they put down the twin towers. i have have been beating them up since. >> i feel bad because i am broke in my heart because this guy is nice guy and so quiet. >> reporter: his death comes weeks after 58-year-old keesa con was killed at another new york station. this video shows the suspect arguing with the victim minutes before he pushed him off the platform. >> you never know who is going to push you onto the tracks or into the street. >> reporter: those concerns led new york mayor michael bloomberg to call for calm. >> i don't think you have to worry about getting pushed over the platform. it's such a rare occurrence, no matter how tragic it is, it

shouldn't change our lifestyle. >> reporter: regardless, many riders say they'll be staying far away from the plait foorm edge for now. >> today we are happy to report a triumphant return for the coach of the indianapolis colts. after a personal battle off the field, today he was back on it. >> reporter: the head coach of the indianapolis colts, chuck pagano, already facing heavy odds when the season started, fresh off an awful season last year. the fans wondering where have all the good times gone. then that diagnosis. the 52-year-old coach had leukemia, forced to leave the team for treatment. as he fought off the field, the team was fighting on it, turning that record around, making it to the playoffs, while back at the hospital, the coach recalling the moment doctors told him he could go home. >> dr. craig came in and we had a conversation. he said your counts are starting to come up a little bit. i said how are they?

he said good enough to go home. and so you're like -- it's like a day early. so anyway, he said what time's the game? and i said we play 1:00 today. he said you should be out of here by noon and make it home in time to see the game from home. so it was big. it's awesome. it was a great day. it was a great day. >> and today their prayers answered. the coach was back. >> he was undergoing treatment -- >> from the stands, those chants, we want chuck. there were hugs on the field and then the team performed. one of the biggest thrills of the game, the unbelievable run the entire field, the coach and his colts winning. >> it was great to see him back. there's still much more ahead here on "world news" this sunday night.

serenading the president. ♪ amazing grace ♪ how sweet the sound >> what we didn't know about that phone call, the secret request, the scramble that followed, and what the president said afterward. look, if you have copd like me, you know it can be hard to breathe, and how that feels. copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva helps control my copd symptoms by keeping my airways open for 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that does both. spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva.

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as we came on the air last night, we learned of that phone call, the former president george h.w. bush, the oak ridge boys singing into the phone. tonight we learn about the scramble and what the president said afterwards. here's clayton sandell now. ♪ amazing grace max >> reporter: it was a spirit lifting song ordered by barbara bush. >> she called us and said we should cheer the president up. and if the oak ridge boys could all get together and sing him a song or two. >> reporter: the bush family and the oak ridge boys have been mutual fans for decades. when the call from mrs. bush came in, the boys were on vacation but dropped everything gathering at the office in only 45 minutes. >> it was actually great to hear the president's voice in a cheerful mood. >> reporter: mr. bush, 88-years-old, is in this houston hospital fighting complications of bronchitis. an expected three-day stay now stretching more than a month.

but when the band called his room on friday, number 41 had a request. >> he said he was ready to hear some of elvira. ♪ elvira that would make him feel good. >> reporter: the boys picked one of their favorites. >> you'll remember this one. ♪ amazing grace ♪ how sweet the sound ♪ that saved a retch like me ♪ i once was lost ♪ but now i'm found ♪ was blind but now i see >> there you go. >> the day after that mini

concert, mr. bush was moved out of the intensive care unit here. but still no word on when he may be allowed to go home. >> clayton, so many in the country thinking about president bush this new year's. when we come back here, the index for the evening and brings new meaning to getting fed to the sharks. the big catch that suddenly miss appeared before the fisherman's eyes. 'cause all our states are great. and now is when the gulf gets even better. the beaches and waters couldn't be more beautiful. take a boat ride or just lay in the sun. enjoy the wildlife and natural beauty. and don't forget our amazing seafood. so come to the gulf, you'll have a great time. especially in alabama. you mean mississippi. that's florida. say louisiana or there's no dessert. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. get coricidin hbp. the number one pharmacist recommended cold brand designed for people with high blood pressure.

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instant index, starting with the picture creating quite a buzz. the shark caught not once but twice. this you have to see to believe. the fisherman reeling in the strike from out of the blue a bigger great white emerges from the water eating the smaller shark. in the end the fisherman's only catch was this image right here. to the video from mars where the rover is gearing up for its own resolution, setting off to climb its first martian mountain. in the meantime, he's been scooping up dirt and occasionally snapping portraits. this is what it sees. our number tonight, 17 million, that's how many pieces of confetti are ready to be dropped tomorrow night when the ball drops tomorrow night. it's all made by hand and if you're there tomorrow night, look closely, you may find a written wish from one of the many visitors. tourists were allowed to make a

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finally tonight here, 24 hours from now, we'll all be counting down to the new year with our loved ones. tonight here are the resolutions and hopes from the new year already coming in from so many of you with your three words. >> a better 2013. ♪ [ laughter ] >> happy new year! ♪ >> get into college! >> continue to learn! ♪ health and happiness. >> spread more peace! >> keep snow coming! ♪

win the super bowl! >> increase the art. >> live better life. ♪ >> your three words, resolutions and hopes for the new year. that's the broadcast for tonight. "good morning america" first thing in the morning and i hope to see you right back here tomorrow night new year's eve as we countdown to 2013. have a good evening. goodnight.